A Classic 1980s Dust Up – Iran vs Iraq

Another great game of Team Yankee which pitted some expertly painted Iranians, equipped with mainly British and American kit, against their arch-rivals, Iraq, equipped with French and Soviet hardware.

Playing to the Dust Up mission, the Iranians attempted a flanking manoeuvre with Scorpions and Chieftains. This was brutally stopped by Iraqi T72s and Saggar missiles, fired from well positioned BMP1s. The Iranians then suffered a series of crucial, unlucky die rolls for both their morale and delayed reserves, enabling a flight of roaming Iraqi Mi-24 Crocodiles/Hinds, equipped with Spiral missiles, to pick off the remaining Chieftains.

Other games this evening included an 18^th Century ‘Rebels and Patriots’ game and a FoW game, utilising another combination from the German Bulge book.

Team Yankee - Iran Iraq War

The Iraqis suffered a heavy defeat in this 'modern' game using Team Yankee rules. The Iranians delivered a left flank attack spearheaded by Chieftains, supported by TOW jeeps, which enabled their infantry to assault and take the objective. The Iraqi T72s were a big disappointment and could hardly land a blow against the Iranian M60s.

Also of note was the appearance of Cobra and Crocodile (Hind) attack helicopters. The Cobras had some limited success before falling prey to the Crocodiles. The Crocks had the run of the table thereafter, although failed to KO anything other than a solitary Chieftain.

Interestingly, both armies have some decent modern equipment, for the 1980s, although their training and skill levels leave a lot to be desired. The Iranians have better morale and can remount 'bailed out' vehicles more easily, which also helped give them the edge in this game.

 

Monday Night Games - Iran-Iraq War

This was an initial play test using Team Yankee rules for the Iran-Iraq War. The rules work well for modern period gaming and the advanced technologies are death with in sophisticated, yet playable ways. This game was played with limited forces, but the game play is pretty deadly, even at long range, with stabilised firing systems and even laser rangefinders on T72s. The Iranians won both games, benefitting from better tanks and TOW jeeps.

The intention is to introduce the Americans and/or the British at a later date, match them against the Iraqis, and replay 'Desert Storm' battles from the Gulf War 1991.